Clipsheet

Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center, said the Electoral College vote is mostly a “sleepy behind-the-scenes operation of little interest to the public,” except for a few distinct times.

Janet Hyde, UW-Madison professor emerita of psychology and gender and women’s studies, believes socialization explains the gender gap. Hyde is an expert in both the psychology of gun violence and women.

“Of course, we don’t know the details about the motives in this particular one, but in general, women are socialized, girls are socialized, to care for others,” Hyde said. “This is such a violation of what girls are socialized to do — they’re socialized to play with baby dolls, and they’re socialized to become nurses. It’s great to be a caring person, but that’s why we see so few female shooters, because it violates the socialization.”